XN000022-1992-07-31 — Page 15

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FRIDAY, JULY 31, 1992

IMMIGRATION PROCEDURE TO BENEFIT TAIWAN VISITORS

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THE

IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED THAT WITH EFFECT FROM TOMORROW (SATURDAY), THE REQUIREMENT FOR CHINESE RESIDENTS IN TAIWAN TO HAVE AT LEAST TWO YEARS RESIDENCE IN TAIWAN BEFORE THEY COULD APPLY FOR A HONG KONG ENTRY PERMIT IS ABOLISHED.

T

"THIS IS PART OF OUR ONGOING REVIEW TO STREAMLINE PROCEDURES. I AM SURE THIS WILL BENEFIT GENUINE VISITORS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID.

THE CHANGE WILL ALSO APPLY TO APPLICATIONS THAT ARE CURRENTLY UNDER PROCESS.

ONE MORE AIDS CASE CONFIRMED

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ONE MORE CASE OF AIDS (ACQUIRED IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME) WAS CONFIRMED AND ANOTHER SIX MEN WERE FOUND TO BE POSITIVE FOR THE HIV ANTIBODY TEST LAST MONTH, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ANNOUNCED TODAY (FRIDAY).

THIS BRINGS TO 297 THE TOTAL NUMBER OF HIV INFECTED IN HONG KONG WITH 63 CONFIRMED AIDS CASES.

REVIEWING THE LATEST AIDS

SITUATION AT A MONTHLY MEETING WITH MEDIA MEMBERS, THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S CONSULTANT (SPECIAL PREVENTIVE PROGRAMME), DR S.S. LEE, SAID ONE OF THE NEWLY INFECTED WAS AN INTRAVENOUS DRUG USER (IVDU).

SO FAR, 40 AIDS PATIENTS HAVE DIED AND

23 OTHERS ARE EITHER

UNDER COUNSELLING AND TREATMENT OR HAVE LEFT THE TERRITORY.

OF THE 297 HIV INFECTED, 60 WERE HAEMOPHILIACS, 201 ACQUIRED THE INFECTION SEXUALLY, SIX WERE DRUG ABUSERS AND THREE ACQUIRED THE INFECTION THROUGH BLOOD TRANSFUSION.

FOR THE REMAINING 27, THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE WAS INADEQUATE FOR CLASSIFICATION, HE ADDED.

UNDER THE AIDS SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME WHICH STARTED IN 1985, A TOTAL OF 239,946 BLOOD SPECIMENS HAVE BEEN TESTED FOR THE AIDS VIRUS.

THE HONG KONG RED CROSS BLOOD TRANSFUSION SCREENED ALL BLOOD DONORS FOR HIV ANTIBODY.

SERVICE HAS ALSO

UP TO LAST MONTH, 1,097,606 UNITS OF BLOOD HAD BEEN TESTED AND 22 DONORS WERE FOUND POSITIVE.

ALSO SPEAKING AT THE MEETING WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE WORKING GROUP ON AIDS PREVENTION AMONG DRUG USERS UNDER THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY ON AIDS, DR JAMES CHIEN.

/HE SAID